Based on city records, the paper found a 26 percent jump in the number of tickets issued. The extra tickets made an additional $7 million for the city.
Records show about 327,650 tickets were issued in the first eight months of the year for expired meters or overstaying a pay-and-display spot. That's up from fewer than 260,000 in the same period of 2008.
Chicago Department of Revenue spokesman Ed Walsh says the area in and near Chicago's Loop accounted for 50 percent of the increase.
A deal that privatized Chicago's meters took effect in February amid a public outcry over the rates, which quadrupled in some areas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
